Merchandise display device and/or package



July 317,, 1951 M. J. FERGUSON MERCHANDISE DISPLAY DEVICE AND/OR PACKAGEFiled Sept. 16, 1946 Lama ran, M4227 d/zeausam Z M I Patented July 17,1951 MERCHANDISE DISPLAY DEVIGE AND/R PACKAGE Martin J. Ferguson,Swansea, Ontario, Canada Application September 16, 1946, Serial No.697,186

" In Canada July 25, 1946 4 C aims.- 1

This invention relates to packages of containers and/or display devicesfor merchandise in containers.

A great variety of forms of such devices or packages have from time totime been proposed but none of them combines the advantages of anarticle embodying my invention. Such an article is particularly adaptedfor adoption by a manufacturer or distributor concerned with the sale ofa variety of articles or preparations adapted to be packaged and/ordisplayed together in containers of the same size or of somewhat varyingsizes either as samples to be exhibited by a travelling salesman or in ashop by which the manufacturers or distributors line is carried.

My invention consists in a shelf or series of shelves having a holdingrib adapted to maintain in position relatively to it and to each other aseries of containers, preferably of rectangular shape, each containerhaving a groove in one or more surfaces adapted to co-operate with therib on the shelf or shelves. The containers may also have ribs andgrooves adapted to co-operate with corresponding grooves and ribs onadjoining containers so that the containers are firmly held inappropriate relation to one another for carriage and display purposesand the shelf may also have a flange in front to retain the containersthereon. Whether the containers are constructed with or without ribs andgrooves co-operating with grooves and ribs or other containers, theco-operation of their grooves with a rib on a shelf makes thecombination of the containers with the shelf or shelves particularlyadapted for the packaging and carriage of the series of containers andfor their display as samples or on the premises of a dealer as does alsothe flange at the front of the shelf.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a series ofcontainers of different sizes in place on a shelf.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the shelf.

Figures 3 and 4 show alternative arrangements of the containers on ashelf.

In the embodiment of my invention shown in the figures rectangularcontainers A have a groove l on three sides adapted to co-operate with arib 2 on the shelf B so that the containers can be arranged on the shelfwith a groove and the shelf rib co-operating in any of the threepositions shown in Figures 1, 3 and 4 for carriage or display and withdischarge openings 5 appropriately placed having regard to the positionoccupied by the containers. The shelf may have (Cl. 2 2ll;:=23.4).

a flange 4 and the containers may each have also on one side a rib 3adapted to co-operate with the groove I on one side of an adjoiningcontainer in which case the containers may be positioned and held inplace as shown in Figtires 1 and 3 or held together as shown in Figure4.

Even without a flange on the shelf or ribs on the containers adapted toco-operate with adjoining containers and with only one ribbed shelf thecombination of the shelf and containers can be readily packaged in anappropriate carton in readiness for display particularly if thecontainers are of such dimensions as to fit the shelf longitudinally andthe carton vertically or vice versa, but even if the containers are notso sized they can for the purposes of packaging be readily held in placeboth longitudinally and vertically by appropriate wedges or the like ofwaste material.

The device may include only one shelf as shown in the drawings, or aseries of shelves one above the other and when it is desired to removeany given container it may, if the containers do not co-operate with oneanother, be readily lifted from the shelf, and if they do so co-operatecan be removed by sliding one or more containers slightly along theshelf rib.

I claim;

1. In the shelf mounting of articles having an end wall and side wallsterminating at said end wall, a construction for retaining said articlesagainst displacement transversely of the shelf and against displacementin at least one direction relative to each other, comprising alongitudinal, upwardly extending rib on said shelf, groove means on theend wall of each article for receiving said rib, groove means on one andthe same side wall of each of said articles, and a parallel ribcomplementary to said side wall groove means and located on the oppositeside wall of each article at a location corresponding to the location ofsaid side wall groove means, whereby, when said articles are mounted onsaid shelf with said shelf rib and the end wall groove means in matingrelation, said side wall ribs and groove means of adjacent articles mateto prevent displacement of adjacent articles relative to each other awayfrom the shelf, while the mating of said shelf rib and end wall groovemeans prevents displacement of the articles transversely of the shelf.

2. A construction as set forth in claim 1, said side and end wall groovemeans and said side wall rib means of each article each being contamper3 tinuous and each extending entirely across the wall on which it isformed.

3. A construction as set forth in claim 1, wherein said side wall riband groove means extend transversely of the end wall groove means.

4. A construction as set forth in claim 1 wherein said articles have atleast four of said side walls, each opposite pair or side walls of eachcontainer having said complementary rib and groove means configuration,said side wall ribs and groove means all being equally spaced from theend wall of each container, the end wall groove means and the side wallgroove means being substantially identical in cross section to permitdisposition of said articles with the same, grooved side wall of eacharticle in contact with the shelf and with the groove means of that sideof the articles placing the rib and groove means of the verticallyextending side walls in mating engagement.

MARTIN J. FERGUSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re.17,204 Johnson Feb. 5, 1929353,600 Sloan Nov. 30, 1886 454,772 Sagar June 23, 1891 1,112,943 StoneOct. 6, 1914 2,064,518 Brogden Dec. 15, 1936 FOREIGN PATENTS NumberCountry Date 529,357 Germany July 11, 1931

